A Monterey city councilman pleaded guilty in court Wednesday morning to assaulting his live-in girlfriend in their Monterey home.

Jeff Haferman, 46, pleaded guilty to spousal battery as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. The plea deal allowed Haferman to dodge a potential one year jail sentence.

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A judge ordered the city councilman to three years probation. He must also attend domestic violence classes, pay a $500 fine, refrain from harming his girlfriend, and not own any guns.

PHOTOS: City Councilman Jeff Haferman

On July 31, Haferman's girlfriend, Nicole Fuqua, went to the police station and told police that a violent fight had just happened with her boyfriend. Police arrested Haferman and he was booked into the Monterey County Jail.

A week later, during Haferman's first court appearance, Fuqua tried to take back her accusations and defended Haferman.

"We've been living together again for the past week now just fine and peacefully," Fuqua told the judge. "I saw a counselor the day after the incident."

The legal system, however, does not allow domestic violence victims to drop charges on their own.

"Once the case gets filed, we have to evaluate it and make that ultimate decision," Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Charles T. Olvis said.

Prosecutors said they had more than enough evidence to convict Haferman, even without cooperation from their prime witness. The district attorney went forward with charging the city councilman.

Haferman has served on the Monterey City Council for nearly seven years and is also the vice mayor.

He works at the Naval Postgraduate School as the Director of Research Computing in Monterey and has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Since his arrest, Haferman has continued serving on the Monterey City Council and attending meetings.